i woke up and saw the long line snaking out from petsi's pie. i heard this year they're not doing pre-orders, you basically wait in line and take your chances, buy whatever they have to offer.
i went to market basket this morning in search of mussels and more drinks. for some reason they set up road blocks in the alleyway that goes from dane street to the supermarket. i noticed they (the handful of offices and lab spaces that use that alleyway) have been trying to restrict access for years now, from installing planters to make it harder to drive down to a few months ago when they put up a do not enter sign. but the locals are so used to going that way, none of those measures can stop them from using the alleyway as a shortcut.
they didn't have any mussels - just clams. i picked up two 12-pack of polar seltzers (ruby red grapefruit and apple lemon, $4.50 each, unlike the 12-pack i got from star market on sunday which was $7). also some jalapeno peppers, cilantro, lobster dip, and hazelnuts. it wasn't yet too crazy, and i managed to check out without any wait.
after returning home, i went across the street to star market to look for mussels. they had them but at $4.50/lbs (normally they're $2.50/lbs). i didn't have any choice, so i got two bags, $18. i also got some special flavored polar seltzer, prickly pear and pomegranate champagne ($3.33/pack). back at home, i put the mussels in a glass lasagna dish and covered them up with wet paper towels.
i called my mother, who told me my father was going to go to chinatown to get a few things. they should've gone yesterday; to go today would be crazy. my original plan was to go to belmont to work on my motorcycle then do some house cleaning. but i told my mother i'd go to chinatown by bicycle and get the supplies.
as it was still early, i went to belmont after all to work on the motorcycle. today was the only day i had free, and it was important i get the turn signal switch fixed otherwise i don't feel safe riding. i opened the left turn signal horn switch assembly and removed the turn signal switch component, as shown in this motorcycleMD video i saw online.
right away i could see the contact points covered up with old grease. i took the switch assembly inside the house and carefully took it apart. i cleaned the contact points, removed all the old grease, and then applied fresh dielectric grease. i then put the switch back together and went outside to install it back into the assembly.
the signal switch felt loose now, but i think that's normal, when the switch isn't gummed up with grease. the turn signals worked 100%, unlike last night, when it'd work most of the time, not all the time.
it was 1pm when i left my parents' place, i got back to cambridge 10 minutes later. it was starting to get warm - temperature in the 50's - and i changed into some lighter clothes before taking the bicycle into boston.
i arrived at c-mart around 2pm. i bought $75 worth of supplies, including chinese celery, garlic chives, shanghai bokchoi, oranges, persimmons, rice noodles, and watermelon seeds. i ended up spending over $75 (using my parents' debit card), which qualified me for a free calendar. i left c-mart 20 minutes later. it took me a while to pack up everything into the rear baskets, making sure the heavy items were on the bottom, while the light items were either on top or in my messenger bag. i also watched the drama that was unfolding outside of c-mart, at the congestion of cars trying to get into the small parking lot, with angry drivers sounding their horns. this is why i only come to chinatown via bicycle, never have to worry about parking.
it took me longer to get back home, because i went via the esplanade then across the MIT bridge. less traffic for sure, but given the choice, i'd rather take the shorter route instead of the scenic route, especially in november when there's nothing to see. it was a nice warm day though, and for some reason i did see a few wedding couples getting their photos taken along the charles river.
i got back home by 3pm. i immediately went back out again, this time to market basket for the second time today. the round blocks were gone. once again it wasn't as crowded as i'd feared. i came to get bean sprouts, as well as baby spinach, and charsiu powder. before i left, i also went to little india to find some beers for matthew. i know my sister's godmother was tasked with bringing the beer, but she usually goes for quantity over quality. i like picking out the beers every thanksgiving, gives me a chance to select some obscure choices. i ended up going with a 12 pack of zero gravity brewery beers, mostly because i liked the packaging. it contains 4 different flavors: green state, cone head, little wolf, and iipa madonna. later i found out the brewery is actually based in burlington, vermont, matthew's hometown.
back at the house, i packed up my saddlebags, then took the motorcycle to the cafe to drop off the supplies. i wasn't planning on it, but it gave me a chance to test out the turn signal lights, which performed flawlessly. there was a lot of traffic and it took me a while to get to the cafe. i left with some persimmons (my 2nd aunt said she bought some as well for thanksgiving) and my 2nd aunt gave me some leftover longans.
i finally got home by 4:30pm, where i was able to finally rest for the day. i hadn't had lunch yet, so i made an avocado spread bagel. the house still smelled of flan i made last night, of eggs and sugar.
my tribit maxsound plus portable bluetooth speaker arrived today. it's a pretty robust speaker, heavy and substantial feeling. i paired it with my laptop to test it out. it was loud, but it sounded a bit muffled. i wasn't entirely blown away, and i'm now tempted to get the soundcore motion+ just to compare the two.
surfing the web on the couch, i fell asleep with the travel pillow around my neck. it actually felt pretty nice, like my head was properly supported, makes me wonder if i could use it as a regular sleeping pillow. i felt the heat kicking in but i was still cold, mostly because i only set the thermostat to 65 degrees. i used the warmth of my laptop almost like a blanket, but that only warmed up my midsection, while my legs and feet were still cold.
i finally woke up around 7pm, to use the bathroom and take a shower. i don't sweat as much compared to biking in the summertime, but nevertheless, my t-shirt was completely sweat-soaked when i got back home.
later around 8:30pm i started making dinner. i was making korean rice cake again. i got some fried tofu wedges from chinatown, so i was able to follow my old recipe exactly. i did eat until 9pm, the savory sweet and hot rice cake broth really hitting the spot. afterwards i finished the longans.